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“It’s safe to get out,” Zion said once he opened the door.
Vincenzo slipped out, followed by Aiden and me. Zion took up the rear, and I was cased in. I snorted at how ridiculous this must look, but Vincenzo faced me before I could say anything.
“I am here as a bodyguard for you. All of Lex Talionis are.”
“Wait, what.” I grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving. “Why are you telling me this now when we had an entire car ride to talk?”
“Because you’d ask questions and argue.”
“That’s bullshit. I wouldn’t argue and I’d likely understand, but seriously, why can’t anyone know?”
He snorted. “See? Questions. We can talk about this later. For now, you lead the charge.”
“Fine.” I sighed and we reached the porch.
Eden was in the lead and rang the doorbell. We only had to wait a beat until the door opened and a man who appeared to be in his late seventies stood in front of us.
His eyes widened as he took in everyone on his porch. Along with me, Aiden, Vincenzo, Zion, and Eden, Thomas was at the SUV, and there was another parked behind him and four other Lex Talionis on the property.
“Can I, uh, help you?”
I had to be the one to speak, and I really wished we’d had a rehearsal on this and Vincenzo the douche hadn’t sprung it on me.
“Are you Arnold Blessett?”
He chuckled nervously. “I’m not sure I want to answer that.”
I hummed. “Yes, understandable. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fred Brennan…” I was glad when he blanched—he was well aware of who I was. “Everyone else you see here is for my protection.”
“Protection?” His brow creased. “From what?”
“Perhaps we can take this conversation inside.”
He peeked behind himself, then to me. “Are…well, I don’t want no trouble.”
“I suggest you let me enter, Mr. Blessett, and hopefully we can make your dream a reality.”
I couldn’t tell for sure what was rattling around in the old man’s head but a few seconds later he indeed stepped aside, and we all made our way in.
His home was fully furnished, clean, and one glance at the artwork, interior design, and the elderly man in nice clothes, told the tale that he was absolutely taken care of.
“Nice home.” I smirked.
“Thanks…my grandson takes good care of me.” He walked to the living room and I followed.
“I bet Richie does.”
Arnold’s steps faltered, but he gripped the side of the couch and sat before he fell completely.
“You know my Richie?”
I sat on the couch adjacent to him. “It’s why I’m here, Arnold…may I call you Arnold?” He nodded. “See, the other night someone tried to gun me down and did in fact kill two of my family in the process.”
His eyes widened. “What?” His head swiveled this way and that, gaping at every person who now crowded the room. “You think Richie did it?”
“Thing is, Arnold, it was your SUV that was abandoned a few blocks from where the shots were fired, and bullet casings matching those that killed my family were with it.”
“My SUV?”
